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The Japanese raid at Ford Island, December 7, prompted President
Roosevelt and Secretary Knox to hold Admiral Kimmel accountable and wanted
him to be relieved.
- Admiral Nimitz at the time hesitated because he was much junior to other Admirals that already had great influence in the Pacific theater.
- At this point the US Pacific Fleet was fighting a defensive war. USS Arizona sinking at Pearl Harbor
- Japan had twice the battleships, twice as many carriers, and a superior air force. (Naval Historical Center)
- The Navy was in fair condition when Admiral Nimitz took over. The Pacific US Navy was very fortunate that its carrier force was untouched the day the Japanese raided Pearl Harbor.
- The general gunnery of the Navy was good, such as the six-inch, machine guns, etc. Nimitz faced a great problem with torpedoes because they failed to detonate at the right time.
- There was a shortage of ammunition
- American sailors and airmen where unready for battle. The expansion of the air sector in the Navy mustered great masses of novice pilots
- Although all carriers had radar, the equipment was fairly new. The planes did not have identification-friend-or-foe (IFF).
- Nimitz mobilized the fleet fight an offensive war against Japan. This aggressive drive is what ultimately allowed the United States to defeat Japanese forces over six million square miles of land and ocean.
- To obtain this objective, he focused on mustering a group of aggressive Admirals to take control of the Pacific ocean.
- Admiral Halsey and Admiral Spruance are some of the individuals that stand out as the driving force at the front line.
- Halsey's slogan was "Kill Japs, Kill Japs, Kill More Japs."1
- Nimitz was faced with mobilizing his troops to fight, .
Pacific Fleet Change of Command, Dec.31, 1942
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(Naval HistoricalCenter)
